Members Fstpicker Posted May 19, 2004 Members Share Posted May 19, 2004 I ordered a WD-18SW off of Ebay over a week ago and received it yesterday. I must say that this guitar looks much better than the generic pictures on ebay showed. The quality of the mahogany is top-notch and beautiful, although not truly bookmatched. The satin finish was outstanding, even better than some Martin D-15's I've seen locally. The abalone soundhole inlay is really beautiful and sets the guitar off elegantly. The gold tuners are a perfect match visually to the otherwise "no-frills" appearance. The quality workmanship was not too bad, although not up to Martin or Taylor's standards by any means. There were some glue marks left on the finish around the bridge, a couple minor scratches, mostly the size of a pencil point, and a small finish crack in the wood down near the binding near the endpin. This guitar was listed as mint, but I would classify it more as excellent or very good instead, appearance-wise. The "mustache" or similar bridge shape is really a nice set-off for the rest of the guitar along with the new-styled headstock (Southwestern motiff?). The neck thickness feels just perfect...just a little thicker my Martin D-16RGT...and it fits the hand just right. The frets looked finished rather well with no sharp points on the ends. The rosewood fretboard and bridge are stained a nice dark color but not black. The action was a little high at the nut, so in shaving down the bottom of the nut, I sanded off too much! So I had to run out to my local Guitar Center and purchase a new plastic nut for 68 cents and get it to fit the slot right and the height correct like I originally tried to do in the beginning. After a few truss-rod adjustments, and the fitting of the nut, the action is just right with only slight buzz on hard strumming. I changed strings to light guage D'Addario PB (it came with medium guage it looks like) and they give this guitar a richer tone with some initial brightness. The mahogany tone comes through loud and clear and it has a richness and sweetness to it that is attractive. I did notice that the (TUSQ?) saddle had a plastic "shim" under it, which I would like to replace someday perhaps with a newly-fitted and compensated bone saddle. Overall, I'm very pleased with this guitar and feel that it was more than worth the $179 (+ $26 shipping) that was paid for it!! This guitar was actually bought for my guitar student by his parents. It was a thrill to "pass it off" to him tonite and see the happiness written all over his face when he first saw it! That made it more than worthwhile just to see the look on his face!! Sorry this is so long, but I had promised a review of this guitar when I got it to another WD-18SW forum owner, and thought the rest of you may find it interesting as well. Thanks for listening. For those of you who may not be aware of this all-solid wood mahogany guitar, I'll include a link to Washburn's website with all the info on this model. Here it is:http://www.washburn.com/acoustics/dreadnoughts/wd18sw.htmJeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cams Posted May 19, 2004 Members Share Posted May 19, 2004 That's a nice looking guitar there. And what a wonderful story, to pass it on to your student. I love stories like that, and only regret that I never saw my nephew's face when my brother took home my old Aria to give to him. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted May 19, 2004 Members Share Posted May 19, 2004 Thanks for the review Fstpicker! Where do they make them - is either Korea or China? FWIW - and I'm no expert on guitar workmanship by any stretch - but when looking at Alvarez and Takamine last year the lone Washburn dread I tried (can't remember the model) was a much better guitar for the price IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fstpicker Posted May 20, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 20, 2004 There are made in Indonesia. First guitar I've seen made from there. Their workmanship isn't quite up to par perhaps than alot of the China or Korean-made guitars now being made like Blueridge, etc., but they are pretty close. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted May 20, 2004 Members Share Posted May 20, 2004 Thanks again Jeff! It's amazing how cheap these Asian-made guitars are getting apparently without skimping on materials. For example, the new Epiphones which are made in China boast some amazing features like all-solid wood and cost less than Korean-made guitars with laminated back/sides. OTOH I've also heard that (on the AG Gear forum) that the workmanship is still not consistent yet - even in the Chinese plants. FWIW - for a couch-player's guitar I think I would look past some stray glue dots inside or even excessive play in tuning machinery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members proax Posted May 20, 2004 Members Share Posted May 20, 2004 Originally posted by kwakatak Thanks for the review Fstpicker! Where do they make them - is either Korea or China? FWIW - and I'm no expert on guitar workmanship by any stretch - but when looking at Alvarez and Takamine last year the lone Washburn dread I tried (can't remember the model) was a much better guitar for the price IMO. Washburn makes 1st rate guitars in every price range both in the US and Asian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orsino Posted May 20, 2004 Members Share Posted May 20, 2004 Sure sounds like a great buy to me Jeff. Way to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members parrothd_mark Posted May 21, 2004 Members Share Posted May 21, 2004 I recently played a Washburn WD-32S that was, for it's price, amazing. It has a solid top but laminate mahogany back/sides. For $199, the sound was great. It was great for more than double or triple that price. I bought it for a friend, and she likes it a lot. I'm regretting not keeping it for myself. Washburn did make some poor guitars (in my opinion) for awhile, but some of the newer models are very nice. Worth a look for a budget/beater guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WashburnGuy Posted May 21, 2004 Members Share Posted May 21, 2004 Originally posted by parrothd_mark I recently played a Washburn WD-32S that was, for it's price, amazing. It has a solid top but laminate mahogany back/sides. For $199, the sound was great. It was great for more than double or triple that price. I bought it for a friend, and she likes it a lot. I'm regretting not keeping it for myself. Washburn did make some poor guitars (in my opinion) for awhile, but some of the newer models are very nice. Worth a look for a budget/beater guitar. This is GREAT! I've been on the Washburn band wagon for a couple of years now. I agree, for the money and for how much guitar you get, Washburn has to be a contender for anyone considering starting out or upgrading. Washburn has something for everybody in every price range. Until recently, many discussion boards don't even mention Washburn when the question "what guitar do you recommend for..........?". The usual answer on the budget side is "get a Seagull.........". On the midrange to high end, it's always Taylor, Martin, Larivee, etc....... While Seagull makes a fine guitar (I traded mine for one of my Washburns), for about the cost of the entry level S6 alone, you can get a Washburn D10S with a HSC and a lifetime warranty to the original owner, an electronic tuner and guitar stand. Everything the beginner could need to get started. If you never purchase another guitar in your life, you can be sure that your Washburn will last you for the rest of your life and, because the D10S is a solid top, the sound will improve with age. On the other side, not everybody can afford $700+ to get started playing guitar and in all honesty, you don't need to spend that much money to get a nice guitar. I encourage and invite everybody to visit my Washburn Owners Group and join those of us who already know what a great guitar and value Washburn guitars are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members proax Posted May 21, 2004 Members Share Posted May 21, 2004 Originally posted by WashburnGuy This is GREAT!I've been on the Washburn band wagon for a couple of years now. I agree, for the money and for how much guitar you get, Washburn has to be a contender for anyone considering starting out or upgrading. Washburn has something for everybody in every price range.Until recently, many discussion boards don't even mention Washburn when the question "what guitar do you recommend for..........?". The usual answer on the budget side is "get a Seagull.........". On the midrange to high end, it's always Taylor, Martin, Larivee, etc.......While Seagull makes a fine guitar (I traded mine for one of my Washburns), for about the cost of the entry level S6 alone, you can get a Washburn D10S with a HSC and a lifetime warranty to the original owner, an electronic tuner and guitar stand. Everything the beginner could need to get started. If you never purchase another guitar in your life, you can be sure that your Washburn will last you for the rest of your life and, because the D10S is a solid top, the sound will improve with age.On the other side, not everybody can afford $700+ to get started playing guitar and in all honesty, you don't need to spend that much money to get a nice guitar.I encourage and invite everybody to visit my Washburn Owners Group and join those of us who already know what a great guitar and value Washburn guitars are! Also the Washburn D10 is the best guitar under $500 according to one of the guitar magazines? I forget which one. And isn't the D10 the best seller among all acoustic guitars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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